Jan. 25, 1982: Ginna nuclear plant leaks radioactive gas

Jan. 25, 1982: Radioactive steam briefly vented from the Ginna nuclear power plant in Wayne County after a generator tube ruptured, temporarily shutting down the facility.

Coming just three years after a partial meltdown at Three Mile Island - the worst-ever accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power - the release at the plant in the town of Ontario stoked local anxiety about the plant.

The trouble started at 9:28 a.m. and also caused radioactive water to flow into the plant's containment building.The facility's owner at the time, Rochester Gas and Electric, soon declared a "site area emergency," the second highest alert for a nuclear facility, but downgraded that classification later that evening, according to press reports.

The incident led to the shutdown of the plant's reactor and the evacuation of more than 100 workers. RG&E officials were quick at the time to say there was no apparent threat to the public, and no residents near the plant were evacuated.

A spokesman for Monroe County said at the time the problem was "isolated and terminated."

Press reports at the time said the incident raised broader concerns about the same types of tubes used in other nuclear plants. Ginna replaced its steam generators in 1996.